1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrically rewritable non-volatile semiconductor storage device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A cell array of a NAND flash memory is composed of NAND cell units each having a plurality of memory cells connected in series. Each of the NAND cell units has both ends each connected to a bit line and a source line through a selection gate transistor.
Control gates of the memory cells in the NAND cell unit are connected to different word lines, respectively. In a NAND flash memory, a plurality of memory cells share source regions and drain regions, and are connected in series. Also, the plurality of memory cells share a selection gate transistor, a bit line contact and a source line contact. Accordingly, a size per a unit memory cell can be reduced. Furthermore, since a word line and a device region of memory cells are formed to have a shape of a simple stripe, the NAND flash memory is easy to be miniaturized. Thus, a flash memory having a large capacity is realized.
Furthermore, the NAND flash memory writes (programs) and erases data by simultaneously flowing an FN tunnel current in many cells. Specifically, a group of memory cells that share one word line configure one page or two pages, and data write (program) is performed per a page. Data erase is performed per a block. A block is defined as a group of NAND cell units that share word lines and selection gate lines.
Furthermore, when a NAND flash memory erases data per a block, it is necessary to perform a verify-read-out operation (erase verify operation) for confirming whether or not an erase state of a predetermined threshold value range is obtained (for example, JP H09-180481).
When it is judged that data is not sufficiently erased in the erase verify operation, an erase voltage is increased stepwise (stepped up), and the same erase operation and the same erase verify operation are repeated.
By the way, when data write or data erase is repeatedly conducted to a memory cell many times, charges trapped in a charge accumulation film of the memory cell gradually become hard to flow out. In that case, even if an erase operation is repeated the same number of times as before, a threshold voltage of the memory cell does not easily drop. Accordingly, if a number of repetition of the write/erase operation for a certain memory cell increases, it is necessary to increase a number of repetition of the erase operation and the erase verify operation (the erase voltage is also stepped up and increased).
The increase of the number of repetition of the erase operation prolongs an erase time; thereby an overall performance of a non-volatile semiconductor storage device is lowered. Accordingly, it is desired to reduce a number of repetition of the erase operation as less as possible.